Disease

African Swine Fever - China

China reported its first outbreak of the deadly African swine fever (ASF) on Friday, as authorities in Liaoning province in the country’s northeast culled almost 1,000 hogs and rushed to control the highly contagious disease.

News of the infection will stoke concern about its spread in the world’s largest pig herd, and possibly to Japan, the Korean Peninsula and other parts of Asia. Cases have been recorded across Europe, Russia and sub-Saharan Africa, but it has never occurred in East Asia until now, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Some 913 hogs were slaughtered near Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, and the outbreak has been effectively contained, the Chinese provincial animal health bureau said.

West Nile Virus - Italy

Authorities in the northern Italian region of Veneto have diagnosed 19 with the mosquito-borne illness which can lead to meningitis or encephalitis in severe cases.